Straw-stacker



No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. KNAPP.

STRAW STAGKBR.

No. 555,379. Patented Feb. 25, 1896.

WITNESSES: WINE-N705 M m. f W

v I I Z/ ZA/ I ATTORNEYS.

(No Modfl.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. KN APP. STRAW STAGKER.

No. 555,379. 5 Patented Feb. 25,1896.

w/r/vEssEs:

A TTOHNEYS.

ANDREW E GRAMM F5050 LXTHO WASDHNGTDN DC UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

PETER KNAPP, OF ST. VENDELL, INDIANA.

STRAW-STACKER.

SPE(JIFICA'IION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,379,.datedFebruary 25, 1896. Application filed August 19, 1895. Serial No.559,771. (No model.)

To (all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER KNAPP, of St. lVendell, in the county of Poseyand State of Indiana, have invented a new and Improved Straw-Stacker, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in that class of hay and strawstackers known as wind-stackers, and which stack the hay or straw bymeans of a pneumatic tube. .The object of my invention is to provide alowlying derrick or hoisting apparatus and apply the same to the stackerin a simple and convenient manner, to the end that the stacker may beeasily regulated and used to advantage in barns and other buildings; anda further object of the invention is to provide a means for operatingthe pneumatic tube lat erally by power and controlling the sweep of thesame, providing at the same time for an automatically-operated reversingmechanism.

The invention consists in the novel construct-ion and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out inthe claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved stacker. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation thereof, and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the bottomportion of the pneumatic tube immediately above the turn-table attachedto the tube.

The tube is attached to a thrashingqnachine, and the tube is made insections-an outer main section, A, and an inner telescopicelbow-section, Aand said sections are connected and controlled bypivotally-attached links or straps 10, located at opposite sides of thesections, as shown best in Figs. 1 and 2. The inner or lower end of thepneumatic tube is held to turn in any approved manner in a table 11,fixed upon the rear upper portion of the thrashing-machine; and abovethis fixed table a turn-table 12 is secured to the lower joint of thepneumatic tube, the said turntable being provided with peripheral teeth.The said turn-table is further provided withdownwardly-extending-bracket arms 13 which are passed below the fixedtable 11 and carry friction-rollers 14, which engage with the bottom ofthe aforesaid fixed table.

A derrick or hoisting apparatus 13 is employed for raising and loweringthe tube, and this apparatus preferably consists of arms 15 projectedfrom the bottom section of the tube, one at each side, or fromtheturn-table, as may be found most desirable, and abow-frame 16 ispivotally connected with these brackets, and the bow-frame extendsrearwardly around the rear portion of the elbow-section of the tube. Atthe central portion of the bowframe 16 a hook 17 is preferably made,adapted to support a pulley 18, while back of this pulley and upon eachside of the center of the frame hangers 19 are secured, which hangersserve to journal a winding-shaft 20, having a crank-arm 21 at one of itsends.

The long forward section A of the pneumatic tube rests upon a beam 22,and this beam is connected with the bow-frame 16 by bars 23, located oneat each side of the tube. A cable 24 is secured to the winding-shaft andis passed over a double pulley 25, carried by the turn-table, and alsoover the upper pulley 18, and it is evident that by winding the cable onthe winding-shaft or permitting the cable to unwind therefrom thepneumatic tube may be raised or lowered to any desired extent, and itwill be understood that any form of locking device may be provided forthe winding-shaft if found necessaryas, for example, a pawl and ratchet.

A driving-shaft 26 is journaled at one side of the thrashingmachine,being driven by a belt 27 connected with a driving-pulley of thethrashing-machine, and the drive-shaft 26 is provided with a beveledgear 28 at its upper end. A shaft 29 is journaled on the top of thethrashing-machine back of the pneumatic tube, as shown in Fig. 1, andthis shaft extends over the beveled gear 28 of the drivingshaft, havinga sleeve 30 splined upon the shaft at that point. The sleeve is fittedwith two opposing beveled gears, either of which may be carried intomesh with the beveled gear 28 of the drive-shaft, and the saidadjustable gears are designated respectively as 31 and 32, being broughtinto or carried out of action through the medium of a shifting lever 33,usually of the elbow type, having one of its members connected with thesleeve 30 and the other member extending over the top of the turn-table12.

The shaft 29 carries a gear 34%, which meshes with the teeth of theturn-table to revolve the same, and the inner end of the shaft 29 isjournaled in an adjustable box 35, the movement of which is controlledordinarily by a screw-shaft 36, provided with a crank-arm 37, so that bycarrying the box 35 rearward the driving-gear 3i may be carried entirelyout of engagement with the turn-table.

A number of apertures 38 are made in the turn-table adjacent to itstoothed surface, and one or more pins 39 may be placed in theseapertures. The shafts 26 and 29 will be constantly revolving while thethrasher is in operation, and consequently the tube will be givenlateral movement by reason of the turntable being revolved from theshaft 29, and according to the distance that the tube is to travellaterally the pins 39 will be placed nearer together or farther apart inthe turntable, and as each pin comes in engagement with theshifting-lever 33 it will cause the lever to shift the sleeve 30, and ifthe machinetube were formerly traveling to the right it will then bemade to return or travel to the left until one or the other of the pinsagain strikes the shifting-lever, when the direction of revolution ofthe shaft 29 will be reversed.

This stacker is exceedingly simple, durable, and economic in itsconstruction, and the lateral movement of the pneumatic tube isautomatically controlled, while the vertical adjustment of the said tubemay bequickly and conveniently eifected.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In a stacker, the combination with a turntable,and a pneumatic tube carried thereby, of a bow-frame pivoted to theturn-table, a beam upon which the pneumatic tube rests, bars connectingthe beam with the bow-frame, a winding-shaft carried by the bow-frame, apulley also carried by the said bow-frame, a pulley on the turn-table,and a cable secured to the winding shaft and passed around said pulleys,substantially as described. 2. In astackenthe combinationwithapneumatictube, comprising a long outer section, and inner telescopicelbow-sections of straps secured to opposite sides of the severalsections, the ends of the straps of one section being pivoted to theends of the straps of the adjacent sections, substantially as described.3. In a stacker, the combination with a drive-shaft provided with agear-wheel at its upper end, a toothed turn-table provided with stops onits upper face, and a pneumatic tube carried-by the turn-table, of ahorizontal shaft having one end journaled in an adjusttble box, meansfor adjusting said box, a gear on the horizontal shaft and meshing withthe teeth of the turn-table, connected gears on said shaft, and adaptedto alternately engage the gear of the drive-shaft, and a shifting-la verhaving one end engaging the sleeve of the connected gears and its otherend projecting between the stops of the turn-table, substantially asdescribed.

at. In a stacker, the combination witha vertical drive-shaft providedwith a gear-wheel at its upper end, a toothed turn-table provided withapertures, pins in said apertures, and a pneumatic tube carried by theturntable, of a horizontal shaft having one end journaled in a slidingbox, a screw-shaft secured to the box, working in a support and proyddedwith a handle at its end, a gear on the horizontal shaft meshing withthe teeth of the turn-table, connected gears on the said shaft andadapted to alternately mesh with the gear of the vertical shaft, and anelbow shifting-lever having one member engaging the sleeve of theconnected gears and its other m ember pro jectinginto the path of thepins of the turn-table, substantially as herein shown and described.

PETER KNAPP.

lVitnesses:

JOHN SCHIFF, N11: SEILE.

